The Top Ten Most Expensive Perfumes in the World

Perfumes have been around since the earliest civilizations. They have always been meant to provide a nice smell to a person, object, animals and living spaces. They are a combination of fragrant essential oils, compounds and solvents, which are either extracted from plant or animal sources or created through artificial means.

Modern perfumes started in the latter part of the 1800’s, when man developed the capacity to synthesize in commercial quantities different aroma compounds like coumarien and vanilla. This breakthrough provided for the creation of aroma and fragrances that were previously impossible if only natural sources were utilized.

Since then, manufacturers have come out with new perfumes and fragrances regularly and consistently. From strong musk smells to light floral fragrances, different aromas are being invented depending on the manufacturer’s choice and the trend of the times. As a result, some trendy perfumes have become really costly. Below is a list of the top ten most expensive perfumes in the world.

Take note that it is $12,721.89 per ounce. Even if the price is for the bottle, it will still take a lot of people aback. The whole bottle contains 16.9 ounces of Clive Christian’s signature No. 1 fragrance. The bottle itself is made of Baccarat crystal. A brilliant cut white diamond weighing five carats adorns the bottle. It also boasts of an 18-carat solid gold collar. This is a very rare perfume, as only 10 bottles were ever made, thus ensuring it will become a highly sought after collectible item in the future.

2. Baccarat Les Larmes Sacrees de Thebes – $6,800 per ounce

The company that created the perfume bottle for Clive Christian’s most expensive perfume (see number 1) involved itself in the perfume business in the late 1990s with a trio of limited edition aromas. Only a small number of Les Larmes Sacrees de Thebes were made, thus making it the most expensive of the three. Since it was created by Baccarat, the container was obviously made with crystal and shaped like a pyramid. To evoke the smell of the ancient Middle East, a perfume out of frankincense and myrrh was prepared for this limited edition fragrance. Just add gold, and you would have all the gifts brought by the Three Kings to Jesus.

3. Clive Christian No. 1 – $2,150 per ounce

For those who cannot afford the outrageous price of the Imperial Majesty perfume, Clive Christian has a regular version using a less expensive container. Not that the bottle is cheap, because it is still made of lead crystal especially handmade for the perfume. A small diamond weighing a third of a carat adorns the neck of the bottle. The aroma of the perfume itself is exquisite, as it combines bergamot, natural gum resin, orris, sandalwood and vanilla, as well as extracts from the ylang ylang plant grown in Madagascar. These ingredients are not readily available all year round, and their scarcity contributes to the perfume’s high price.

4. Hermes 24 Faubourg Perfume – $1,500 per ounce

Hermes made only a thousand bottles of this perfume that is especially designed for women. The bottles are made of St. Louis crystal and shaped in a soft square that evokes a sense of movement. Maurice Roucel created it in 1995. The aroma emitted by 24 Faubourg is light and floral, and the effect is long lasting.

5. Caron Poivre – $1,000 per ounce

Both men and women can use this perfume. It comes in a stunning limited edition Baccarat bottle made of pristine crystal. The collar of the bottle is encrusted in white gold. The perfume emits a sophisticated smell that is strong and aggressive. Ingredients for it include cloves, red and black pepper, and other spices.

6. Jean Patou Joy Perfume – $800 per ounce

This perfume was first released in 1936 and was voted as the Scent of the Century by the Fragrance Foundation in the FiFi Awards of 2000, beating out the arguably more popular Chanel No. 5. The aroma is extremely floral, as an ounce of this perfume requires 336 roses and 10,000 jasmine flowers.

7. JAR Bolt of Lightning Perfume – $765 per ounce

Joel A. Rosenthal, a jeweler, designed this perfume that is marketed as having the smell of air after a lightning strike. Observe more closely and you will probably sniff the fragrance of freshly cut plants, ripened fruits and mature flowers. The fragrance will last long, as you can still smell a hint of musk at the end of the day. It is packaged in specially designed hand cut bottles.

8. Annick Goutal Eau d’Hadrien – $441.18 per ounce

This perfume was launched in 1981 and can be used by both men and women. It features a citrus fragrance, as the ingredients used for this perfume include lemon, mandarin orange, Sicilian lemon, grapefruit, citron and cypress, along with extracts of ylang ylang. It was elevated to the Fragrance Foundation’s Hall of Fame during the FiFi Awards of 2008.

9. Shalini – $409.09 per ounce

Shalini is a floral fragrance created by Maurice Roucel. It is especially designed for women. The aroma emits the smell of neroli, tuberose and tiare flower. The base fragrances used are musk and sandalwood. The smell will last long and might even be enhanced with time, as the initial strong floral fragrance slowly dries down to that of the subtle smell of a flower in full bloom.

10. Chanel No. 5 – $121.71 per ounce

Chanel No. 5 is probably the most popular perfume in the world, and certainly one of the best known. It was the first perfume to bear a designer’s name. it was created by Ernest Beaux in 1921 and has since become the benchmark for all elite perfumes. It comes in two concentrations, the Eau de Toilette and the Eau de Parfum. The latter was created in the 1990s as a combination of the original Parfum and Eau de Cologne.